Filing fee for civil cases at El Paso District Clerk's office set to rise to $10

Filing civil cases at the El Paso District Clerk's office will cost $5 more starting next year.

El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday voted to increase the filing fee from $5 to $10. The increase will become effective Jan. 1.

The District Clerk's office collects about $80,000 each year with this fee. The new fee is expected to increase the revenue to $160,000, county documents show.

District Clerk Norma Favela said the money is used to store the records in a safe place.

Currently, Favela's office is in the process of digitizing millions of records. She said the additional money will help her office expedite the process, which is 35 percent completed. More than nine million images have been copied onto a digital form, she said.

The records are destroyed once they are digitized, she added.

"We ensure that we don't destroy any records that would be currently active, such as child support, divorce and cases where there are children involved. We maintain those for at least 18 years," she said.

Favela said the additional cost will help the county save money in the future since digitizing all the records will keep taxpayers from having to pay additional leases to store the documents.

Advertisement

"This becomes a user fee, so those folks that are filing their suits are the ones paying the fee that helps us secure and maintain and digitize the records for historical purposes," she said.

Commissioner Patrick "Pat" Abeln said that the county has to continue paying for the storage of these documents and the new fee will not represent a burden to homeowners.

"Having a user fee really follows the proper philosophy of government where we charge those people who use the system," he said.

County Judge Veronica Escobar said, "We have to pay somehow, either for the physical storage, which is very costly, or we can be more modern in our approach."

The civil case filing fee was approved two weeks after Commissioners Court decided to impose a $10 fee on all types of vehicle registrations. That new fee will also become effective Jan. 1.

Sufjan Stevens, "Carrie & Lowell" (Asthmatic Kitty) Plucked strings and pulsing keyboards dominate the distinctive arrangements on Sufjan Stevens' latest album, and in the absence of a rhythm section, they serve to keep time. Full Story

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story